Formulating a unique pathos for its debut, Ithaqa manages to churn its audience through the familiar comfort of the comedy genre through a lens filled with proper Lovecraftian horror. In one of the more intriguing premises I’ve read this year, Ithaqa offers readers a new exploration of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos. Amidst everything going on in comics, this is a fun addition for readers looking for the new in an age-old medium.
Penned by Michael Devon Watson, this series lays out its premise with these wonderful divergences in plot lines and variations in characterization. With three interweaving plot lines, each one offers its own comment within different stories for either comedic effect or dramatic flourishes. The main focus of the story is a grifter named Mookie Smitts, who acts as a filmmaker and finds himself in different Eldritch horrors within our known universe. His original main focus of producing a film within the age of the Roaring Twenties results in him unearthing a conspiracy to ruin the known version of our relative time-space.
Artist Theresa Chiechi hones in on this setting by offering images that are reminiscent of animations and drawings that came from the 1920s. What is even more impressive is how she offers some fun, unique, and dynamic energy into how these characters easily go from a simple comedic moment to a panel that lingers into a burgeoning effect for the totality of cosmic horror.
Along with the great writer and artist tandem, designer Lucas Gattoni assists in offering elegant cohesion for the book. Not only does he offer cohesive designs, but his lettering on this book also adds nice touches that bring added depth for the voices of these characters.
The creative team behind this book holds an inordinate amount of potential in their future careers within this medium based upon this book. While Ithaqa is independently created, it is executed just as well as any other mainstream comics out there. These creators definitely offer a unique joy from the comics medium that would not have been executed better anywhere else.
